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The cap is going up next year. Therefore some teams will struggle to reach the minimum. Therefore there is still a slim hope of some team being cheap enough to take Gomez just for the cap relief. Therefore he plays.

Either way he wont be in the lineup next year. Either trade, demotion to AHL, or buy-out, in that order of preference. Though I think the Canadiens would buy him out before sending him to the minors, out of respect for the player and saving money.

…rather the being too interested in the micro details of Our Team like line combinations or tonight’s game, My radar is more prioritized to any faint macro-level signs from The Gang That Can’t Shoot Straight (Molson, Gauthier & Cunneyworth)

…as in, for what of God’s-purpose is the sense to play Gomez another game this year ??? …when Eller, Leblanc, Geoffrion, Palushaj and a few others in Hamilton should be given extended TOI to evaluate fairly Their value for next season

…this not happening NOW !!! tells Me that any hope for forward-thinking, imaginative, creative leadership in Ownership, Management and Coaching appears futile …or, almost ‘criminal’ if You are a Fan looking for any sign of ‘hope’ for cultural-change in the way Our beloved Montreal Canadiens are managed

…the Montreal Canadiens organization and Our Fans, as a whole need to feel this current cold frigid splash of reality, …this process will, hopefully, give Us a long needed sense of humility, not humiliation …and help to revive and renew Our tattered culture of high hockey ideals, and ultimate success in the near future
…ride the wave, is all We can do as Fans: …Ownership must make the right choices, persevere, and act not talk

…the Montreal Canadiens organization and Our Fans, as a whole need to feel this current cold frigid splash of reality, …this process will, hopefully, give Us a long needed sense of humility, not humiliation …and help to revive and renew Our tattered culture of high hockey ideals, and ultimate success in the near future
…ride the wave, is all We can do as Fans: …Ownership must make the right choices, persevere, and act not talk

I have 2 tickets to the habs at buffalo for monday night (row 4 seats 1,2 at the sabres blueline).
I need to sell them as i have a semi final hockey game myself that night. I will sell them for what i paid, and that was 200. i live in st catharines, but could meet in the falls as wellmatthbrennan@yahoo.ca

Well some positive news that we should all be talking about..a year after Max’s incident and this is where he is. Inspiring kid and he has his own foundation too. 28 goals- he’s a star in this league. Now that;s behind him. Congrats to him he deserves it!

TORONTO – The UFC has managed to do what the CBC and the NHL couldn’t – get Don Cherry and Brian Burke in the same room talking to one another. Sorta.
They were there to promote their upcoming heavyweight fight next month for media supremacy in the Toronto area but it looked more like a practice round when the two met at a morning television show.
Things started off badly when Cherry tried to do up Burke’s tie and the Leafs GM pushed him away, calling the Hockey Night in Canada celebrity an “antediluvial, pontifical fop.”
A temporary truce ensued while Cherry consulted a dictionary, giving UFC officials ample time to extol the three-round, 15-minute, no-holds-barred contest they’re billing as the “mega-event of the sports universe for the entire millennium.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship representatives downplayed criticism that putting seniors into the cage for the entertainment of younger generations sets a dangerous, albeit lucrative, precedent.
The debate was cut short when Cherry let out a roar followed by an excited defence of his choice of attire.
“How dare you criticize me about how I dress, you blowhard! Or should I say, blowhaaaard, Harvard! Ya wanna talk about wardrobe, here’s one for ya: Ya ever thought of dressing a few Ontario-born hockey players for the Leafs? Didn’t think so, and look where it’s got ya, four straight seasons out of the playoffs. What’s that tell you, genius!”
“That I don’t need to take any advice from a prima don who’s never won a Cup. Got a few minutes? I can tell you how it feels. It kills me, your infatuation with players you compare to lunch bucket, blue-collar workers. Those beloved workers of yours would be laughed off the premises if they came to work wearing shirts with collars like yours. You should try loosening the tie, Don, get the circulation to the brain going again.”
“Well, buddy boy, ya keep yer tie loose as long as ya want, but I’m warnin’ ya now, a few more losses and there will be hundreds of fans showin’ up at yer doorstep, ready to tighten it for ya. And, if I offended ya, Burkie, don’t keep it in. Let it all hang out. Ya got my boss’s phone number on speed dial.”
“What’s this, you acknowledge having a boss? There’s hope for you yet, Donnie-Boy. I wonder just how patient you’d be if you had a loudmouth on your team who challenged your authority as coach. Every week.”
“If I were coach I’d keep my mouth shut as long as the guy delivered the goods. Every week. Which, if you checked the ratings, I’ve been doin’.”
“Talking fossils always draw big, Grapes. Add Topo Gigio as a sidekick and you’ve got an act that’s hard to beat. Although I know many viewers would love to try.”
Cherry caught Burke unawares with a right jab to his shoulder, but Burke countered with a truculent act of his own, an upper cut to Cherry’s clavicle.
“My what???” Cherry shouted, as he punched Burke in the stomach.
“The collar bone – where else,” Burke rejoined, in word and fist, the latter autographing Cherry’s jaw with the imprint of a Stanley Cup ring.
UFC officials immediately stepped in before the two could get hurt on non-pay TV.

It’s always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain and see what kind of scumbag moves are being made. Especially when they’re being made by a guy who presents himself as the consummate Stand Up Guy, as Burke always does.

He comes off like a whiny little child. And can you believe the LEAFS are complaining about biased coverage on HNIC?? Hahahaha!! The gall. The audacity.

So Pat Holland got signed today, meaning he will likely be joining the Dogs once Tri-City finishes up their playoff run. I assume that Kristo will be signed the minute the buzzer sounds on the N. Dakota season (they are heading into the playoffs with Bemidji State this weekend). You have to assume that Tinordi will also be headed to the Dogs once London is finished, and Ellis will probably do the same once Shawinigan is done. Good to know that there is some talent on its way to Hamilton, cause it is pretty thin at the moment.

THey are going to love the summer in Hamilton. Maybe I will personally give them a tour of the Dundurn Castle, but no matter what they do in the Hammer, every day will be concluded with an evening in Hess Village!

There are a fair number of solid prospects in the Habs system. They won’t all necessarily work out, but there is some definite talent there. Ellis has been one of the more surprising to me, considering he was a 4th rounder the same year Gormley went 13th overall. Obviously Shawinigan has loaded up and are a deep team, but he has come in there and been, for the most part, lights out. Good size, RH shot, just what the Habs need going forward.

There is a pretty good chance that London, Tri-city and Shawinigan are all playing longer into the summer than Ham. Shawinigan especially since they are hosting the Memorial Cup. London and T-C ranked 2-3 in CHL. Maybe they bring in Gallagher though and hopefully Kristo

You could be right. Wasn’t really thinking about whether he’d go back for a 4th year right now. Obviously the degree is important, so if he decides to finish it now, power to him.

I was of the impression that the Habs had until June to get him under contract or he becomes a free agent. I guess it will depend on whether he wants to start his pro-career now, or wait it out. Tough call, cause although he might want the degree, there is a shelf-life for “prospects”, and he could get passed on the depth chart.

As I understand it, he could leave university and sign with the Habs, OR he could leave university and refuse to sign with the Habs, thereby becoming a UFA, OR he could return to university for his fourth year and would then become a UFA two months after he finishes his studies, assuming he didn’t sign with the Habs.

OK there’s no finger-pointing here, just an elementary course in linguistic differentiation:
There – Adverb meaning “In or at a place” (e.g. Over there!)
Their – Possessive pronoun meaning “Belonging to someone” (e.g. It’s their house.)
They’re – A contraction of “They are” (e.g. They’re meeting us later.)
End of lesson one. It’s time for recess.

Resign : 1. To submit (oneself) passively; accept as inevitable: I resigned myself to a long wait in line.
2. To give up (a position, for example), especially by formal notification.
3. To relinquish (a privilege, right, or claim). See Synonyms at relinquish.

Most people who are saying that we should lose games to get a good pick also tend to be the ones bitching and moaning that the Habs don’t develop their talent and throw names of lost ‘greats’ around like Grabs and O’Byrne.

I like this Exit Clause, actually. That way, they can temper their delusional thinking that a draft pick will relaunch our dynasty for all eternity with the proviso that our management (whoever it is – it’s not important… probably should be a human so that he’s fallible.. or a robot whose programmers they could blame… I guess as long as he’s not a God. But then again, he may prove to not be the ‘true’ God… y’see? there are always ways out…) is incapable of developing our talent.

“The tank that I exhausted people’s good humour on as I called for it since October would’ve worked IF we’d had competent management, but the Habs refused to hire ME, (the most competent person available -I’m still available, by the way) so now we’re still in last place 3 seasons later!! Now I look like an idiot, even though it’s not my fault! It’s someone else’s fault that I look stupid!”

I will probably be called everything bad under the sun. We have no chance in making the playoffs. That being said, I hope we lose tonight. I want the best possible percentages and chance in getting the number one draft pick.

…the Montreal Canadiens organization and Our Fans, as a whole need to feel this current cold frigid splash of reality, …this process will, hopefully, give Us a long needed sense of humility, not humiliation …and help to revive and renew Our tattered culture of high hockey ideals, and ultimate success in the near future
…ride the wave, is all We can do as Fans: …Ownership must make the right choices, persevere, and act not talk

I love this site.
I’m logged in, type a post, press enter, and it signs me out.
And my post is nowhere to be found.
So I log back in, and TADA…there’s my post.
I’m waiting for a little voice (in my head or out of the computer) asking:
“Are you confuzzled Brian?”

You know Matty, back in the day Harold Ballard’s job with the Leafs was booking the circus every year and other related type booking events. I am wondering if perhaps you aren’t exactly what MLSE is looking for in an owner right now. You would have all the fans distracted with the animals and music!

I think if they have decent management in place, they could be a very good team for about 5 years, and then trade the “superstars” that they can’t afford for more draft picks and good role players.

Realistically, they should be able to be competativeteam for 8 or 9 years or so if they play their cards right (maybe longer if they do well with future draft picks)…. that is, of course, if they find a goalie and a few decent D men to go with their forwards.

On a side note, I was at the game where their forwards just picked apart Calgary a few weeks ago… If it wasn’t for Kipper, the score would have been 12-1. They do have a lot of talent (just inconsistent right now).